Norway Considers Incentives

Norway could become the second Nordic country with a financial incentive scheme to attract international film and TV Productions after report concluded that using the Icelandic model could gain the local film industry.

So far Iceland is the only Nordic country financially supporting incoming film and TV productions – with a similar strategy, Norway would attract up to 10 projects annually. Norway could become the second Nordic country with a financial incentive scheme to attract international film and TV productions – after Iceland, which has since 1999 reimbursed a share of local production costs, currently 20%.

Increase local competence

A report from Oslo Economics, commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, concluded that with a similar strategy Norway would annually host up to 10 more foreign film productions – “which could increase local competence in the industry, promote tourism and create more jobs,” explained culture minister Thorhild Widvey, according to Aftenposten. Widvey is currently working on the government’s address on film policy due next year.

Positive short term effect

More and more Norwegian productions are shot on locations or in studios outside Norway in favour of one of the 40 countries currently supporting incoming projects – this year 10 Norwegian cinema premieres out of 24 have been filmed abroad. According to one of the report’s authors, economist Ove Skaug Halsos, of Oslo Economics, a refund of expenses economist Ove Skaug Halsos, of Oslo Economics, a refund of expenses in Norway would have a positive effect in the short term.

Iceland and New Zealand-experiences

Iceland has received app 20 major international productions, from Batman Begins and Agent 007-James Bond in Die Another Day to the TV series, Game of Thrones. In the UK productions went op from 250-425 between 2007-2010, when incentives had been introduced, creating 30,000 jobs in the film industry and almost 60,000 in total. After New Zealand director Peter Jackson had made his Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) in his home country, tourism has gone up by 60%.